Engineering a More Cost-Effective Method of Communication: Skype for Business – A Blueprint for Success

July 13, 2017

Author

Carol Eastman

Strategic Global Alliance Leader Skype for Business Practice at SoftwareONE

As an organization grows, communication undoubtedly becomes more complex. Larger businesses come to rely on Town Hall meetings via both video and voice web-conferencing (among other forms of communication) to focus their entire team and rally them around company-wide goals. Engineering firms, for example, are reliant on these gatherings to bring their plans together, but what happens when a long-term, software program starts to affect the budget with unexpected costs? And what if that system is too slow and cumbersome to reconfigure the underlying systems in order to meet new (Bring Your Own Device) demands in the workplace? You need a new solution.

Modifying a System to Realize a Return on Investment

Spending several thousand dollars each month on an outdated Town Hall voice conferencing bridge wasn’t cutting it for one high-tech Microsoft partner with an engineering focus. The company had been around since the 1970s and quickly grew, offering engineering expertise on a global scale, and helping their customers start their own businesses. They had an impressive portfolio, with several end markets which included applications such as data center networking, broadband access, telecommunications, alternative energy systems, and many more.

However, with so much diversity in their offerings, the key to delivering leading products – and to keep growing their business with the same high-caliber service as always ­– they needed to crunch the numbers. Originally, they had no intention of leaving their old system due to familiarity for the users, but when SoftwareONE presented them with the concept of Skype Meeting Broadcast, their CEO decided that this solution fit the bill for all their Town Hall meetings. The improvement of hosting meetings with screen sharing provided the executive team the ability to have a deeper connection with the teams. Once the teams started to participate in the Town Hall meetings, their use of the Q&A feature rapidly increased. The company was already using Skype for Business for collaboration, and this was the perfect opportunity to move away from the old and bring in a much better design with a consistent interface.

Allowing for Large Audiences

Skype Meeting Broadcast is a feature of Skype for Business Online and Office 365 that enabled this firm to schedule, produce, and broadcast meetings and events online for up to 10,000 attendees. The company reduced costs and provided their executive team an option for regular and effortless Town Halls at a fraction of the previous spend. The migration to Skype Meeting Broadcast was completed within 60 days. Due to the ease of the project and the professionalism of the SoftwareONE team, the Room System project was moved to the top of the company’s initiatives. .

Flexible Integration with SoftwareONE

Most companies have multiple Unified Communication (UC) needs which are competing for priority. SoftwareONE’s experienced team can assist with an architectural design that maximizes the latest Skype for Business offerings. It is important that we go through the process of migration with each client step-by-step, realizing what the most pressing business and technological issues are, and how to use new methodologies in communication to optimize the end-state business goals.

About Us

Privately owned since 1985, SoftwareONE is redefining the technology solutions landscape as the thought leaders in Software Portfolio Management (SPM) services. By combining our commercial, technology, compliance and governance expertise into a balanced SPM service offering, we support our customers by ensuring their IT investments are cost-effectively roadmapped towards their unique business needs.